Prosecutors in Arizona declined to file criminal charges against a Riverside County couple whose infant daughter died after falling ill as they spent an unusually hot day boating on Lake Havasu in 2024.
The death of 4-month-old Tanna Rae Wroblewski prompted the Mohave County Sheriff’s Department to investigate the actions of her parents, Matthew, a Riverside police detective, and Alyssa Wroblewski.
After a medical examiner said Tanna died from complications of heat exposure, pathologists hired by Wroblewski attorney Jack Litwak concluded Tanna died after accidentally ingesting breast milk into her lungs.
The Mohave County Attorney’s Office then consulted with two more pathologists, and they agreed with the findings of the Wroblewskis’ pathologists, the Today’s News-Herald reported on May 27. That’s when prosecutors announced they would not file charges.
Litwak said in an interview that public speculation about whether the parents were negligent proved to be incorrect.
“I never had any doubt as it relates to my clients’ innocence,” Litwak said. “Over a dozen adults confirmed that the baby was being cared for appropriately throughout the day. She was in front of fans, she was under a shade tent, she was in the water, and she was fed consistently throughout the day.”
A spokeswoman for Mohave County Deputy Attorney James Schoppmann requested that media seeking comment on the decision email questions. But as of Friday, June 13, no one has answered inquiries submitted by the Southern California News Group on May 30 and followed up with a phone message.
The death happened on July 5.
According to the National Weather Service, the high temperature at Lake Havasu was 117 degrees, the highest recorded temperature there on any July 5 since 2007, when it was 120 degrees. The average high temperature for that date from 2000 to 2024 was 108.
“Tanna Rae Wroblewski, our real-life angel, became an angel in heaven,” wrote a person who created a GoFundMe page. “We are beyond devastated, heartbroken; there are just no words. Enjoying a family day on the lake turned into the most unimaginable day of their lives.”
